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Nirvana
Nirvana was a grunge rock band from South England and Seattle. The band was founded by Busted member Kurt Simpson and Krist Novoselic in 1987. The band first began playing under an untitled name in South England in 1987, the band moved to Seattle, Washington in 1988 which was Novoselic's home town. From there, the band gained a drummer, Richard Farro and the band signed a record deal and released their first album, Bleach, in 1989. In 1990, Simpson fired Farro from the band and Nirvana began search for a new drummer to replace Farro. As Bleach gained success nationwide, Nirvana went through a series of drummers which Simpson would fire soon after they began. Eventually, Dave Grohl was added to the band perminately as he impressed Simpson with his firey style of playing. Nirvana released two more albums, one in 1991 and another in 1993, both achieving international success. Nirvana became iconic and dubbed the founders of grunge rock. Simpson managed to maintain a indie-style of showbiz which he wasn't afraid to state. Soon, Simpson's addiction to heroine made him spiral down into a dark part of his life which ended with his suicide in 1994. History 'Formation' After the disappointment of Busted's World Tour which failed to gain any attention in North America, the band returned home and tensions within grew. Kurt Simpson, who at the time, in 1987, was a member of the pop rock band, had begun to have his doubts about his future there. Simpson had begun to write songs in private from his band mates Matthew Bourne and Mike Willis. Simpson's secret songs weren't meant to be played by Busted, they weren't pop rock material. During this doubtful time after the World Tour, Simpson planned to record some solo material. During a party in September 1987, Simpson met Krist Novoselic. The two hit it off instantly as they shared similar interests and music taste. Quickly, the two became friends and Simpson showed Novoselic some of his songs. Novoselic was from Seattle in the United States and was spending a year in England, he was also a musician and played the bass guitar. Simpson saw this as a great opportunity to jam with Novoselic and soon they were playing some of Simpson's new material in his basement. During the autumn, Simpson named the band Nirvana and they hired drummers to play small gigs. Bourne and Willis soon found out about Nirvana and disagreed with how Simpson was treating them and the band. On the 24th December, Simpson called up Busted's manager, J. Kitson and quit. 'Seattle and ''Bleach In 1988, Nirvana became known as the underground grunge band. They played only small gigs in secret venues. Simpson didn't want his popularity with Busted to become a selling point for his new band. He wanted a fresh new start, and that fresh start he wanted came about when Novoselic asked Simpson to move back to Seattle with him. So Simpson joined Novoselic and moved in with him in Seattle ready to begin his new project. Simpson describes the decision as the best one he's ever made as he could get away from it all and start again. In Seattle, Novoselic recruited his friend Richard Farro to be Nirvana's new drummer. Nirvana began their career in America by playing small gigs around the city. They soon gained media attention but as Busted failed to conquer the States, the American journalists didn't recognise Simpson, which was something he'd hoped for. By the end of 1988, Nirvana found a manager and a record label who was eager for them to record a studio album. In 1989, Simpson finished off the songs for Nirvana's debut album, and by then British journalists had already caught wind that Simpson's new band was going to release an album. Bleach was recorded and released in the summer of 1989. It slowly but surely achieved a low level of national success, however it had a very strong fan following, a movement journalists called "the grunge movement". These followers saw Nirvana as the pioneers of the sub-genre. '''Drummer Issues and Second Album In early 1990, in a heated confrontation, Simpson fired Farro. The band told the press that Farro wasn't co-operation with band schedules, some believe that Farro was lazy, other say that Farro simply couldn't handle Simpson's strict demands. During 1990, Nirvana searched for a new drummer. They began gigging with a few to see how they fit, and eventually one was added to the band. However, after the drummer turned up drunk at an important gig, Simpson fired him. During the summer of that year, Simpson hired and fired a dozen drummers, each one wasn't to Simpson's standards. The band manager pleaded that the band find a new drummer soon. Most of 1990 was spent on the road. Simpson and Novoselic bought themselves a van and toured around in it. News of Nirvana had reached the UK by now and the country wanted Simpson to return for a big gig. It would have been Nirvana's largest audience, but Simpson turned it down as he didn't want to be seen as the pop rocker he used to be. In late 1990, Dave Grohl, a young grunge drummer looking for work auditioned for Nirvana. His energy and ruthlessness gained him a job as Nirvana's new drummer, and to most people's amazement, he wasn't fired by Simpson. The band continued to gig around the country, Simpson enjoyed this time as he wasn't as famous as he was in the UK, and he told a magazine he felt that his old band was more about money and commercial success than the art. After driving around America and gigging non-stop, the band took a break in the Spring of 1991. Simpson began writing more and more songs, which shared with Novoselic and Grohl. In September, Nirvana recorded their second album, Nevermind. This was to be Simpson's ultimate achievement. Within a few days, Nevermind reached number 1 on Billboard Charts. The album circulated the world, granting Nirvana fame and fortune. It was during the time after their new found success that Simpson began experimenting heavily in drugs. Simpson's controversial nature made him a cultural icon around the world, and his dark and simple melodies grasped music listeners everywhere. 'Fame, Drugs and Grunge' 1992 saw Nirvana go from an underground grunge rock band to international superstardom. In an interview with Simpson and Novoselic, they said that they had taken their time to make the album, Nevermind, and didn't think it would do as well as it did due to it's particular style. Simpson also said this was very ironic as with Busted they had tried so hard to conquer America. The band moved to Los Angeles in 1992. Simpson married his girlfriend, Hayley Love, who was the lead singer of Paramore at the time, a band which ex-Nirvana member Farro and his brother had joined a year earlier. It was no secret to the public that Simpson and Love enjoyed experimenting with drugs. Eventually, at a gig in Austin, a herione-filled Simpson attacked a bouncer. This even led to Simpson thinking about his drug habits. In an interview with Love, she stated that he tried to get Simpson to stop taking herione but couldn't. Simpson entered rehab in the summer of 1992, and claimed he was clean later that year. While having huge success all over the world, Nirvana still hadn't performed a gig in the UK, Simpson's home country. He had been resistant to go back because of his past with Busted, but Nirvana were offered to headline at the Reading Festival, one of Britain's biggest music festivals. Nirvana agreed and for the first time since his departure, Simpson performed in the UK. For his performance, Simpson came on stage in a school uniform, similar to the attire he wore went in Busted. He the began to play a Busted song which quickly morphed into "Smells Like Teen Spirit". Simpson ripped off his blazer and tie stating that he was busted, but how he's found Nirvana. In December 1992, Nirvana released Insecticide, which was a compilation of demos recorded over Nirvana's tenure. Originally, Simpson was against the idea of releasing the album, but Nirvana's manager allowed Simpson full control over the album's artwork and so Simpson agreed to release it. 'Final Years and ''In Utero''' After the birth of his daughter, Simpson was taking more time off work and the band suffered for it. Grohl complained that the band wasn't doing anything and so Simpson began writing new material for a new album, he was helped by an eager Grohl who co-wrote a song which would later be put on Nirvana's last album. Simpson wanted to take his time when making songs, but Love reports that Simpson wrote one song in ten minutes, other songs, she states, took him years. In September 1993, Nirvana recorded and released In Utero. It, like the rest of Nirvana's discography, went multi-Platinum worldwide. Nirvana were dominating the music scene by this time. However, Simpson had once again fallen to heroine. During winter season, Simpson had been seen coming in and out of rehab, sometimes joined by his wife. A news article came out saying that the Simpsons were not fit parents, and it was true, Simpson and Love almost lost their baby. The same report followed up the story by stating that their marriage was falling through. This story was again true, but it was dismissed by Novoselic in an interview, Simpson didn't give any statements during this time. In April 1994, Simpson was found dead in his garage. It appeared he had committed suicide with a shotgun, he also left a note. Love has been suspected of murdering her husband as it was later revealed he'd filed for divorce. However, no charges where ever made. After the news about Simpson's death reached the other members, they had already known the band was lost. Grohl had even begun working with a new band, Foo Fighters with old friend Harry Hawkins. Novoselic's only comment on his friend's suicide was that he was not surprised. Discography